A couple weeks ago, the editorial page of the New York Times got a little poetical talking about the ineffable melancholy of Sunday nights: "Sunday evening brings a feeling completely unlike, say, Tuesday evening. The slower pace on the sidewalks feels like reluctance. The traffic seems almost melancholy. You suspect that the dogs, out for the last walk of the night, can smell the Sunday-ness of it all."
Most of us head into the weekend with a sense of relief and even joy. But for me, no matter how much fun the weekend is, Sunday night is always a drag — especially now that "Mad Men" is on hiatus! In the words of the Times, "A certain wistfulness always steals over Sunday evening. You can almost feel the people out on the streets … trying to make twilight last a little longer. Monday is gathering and they can feel it."
Ideally, we would make our homes the perfect landing place for Sunday nights. How can we make our space the ideal staging area for the week to come? Do you get through a to-do list of chores? Have a traditional English Sunday roast with friends and family? Read a book in your "sweet spot"?
How do you handle the Sundays?
Image: Edward Hopper's Automat (1927), in the Des Moines Art Center, Iowa; Permanent Collection, via the Tate
Dirty Little Secrets of Tidy Families
Hillary & Michael's Refined Roost
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
Nomade Express Slee...
How To Cook Fluffy, Tasty Quinoa
Easy Pickle Recipe: Cucumber Kimchi Bites
I used to get this Sunday melancholy A LOT, beginning mid-morning. The way I dealt with it was by doing housework and cooking. That's generally how I deal with the blues.
Now I don't get it as much. Turns out if you work from home or are unemployed, you just don't get it. Instead you worry about your next gig every night.
take monday off.
I use Sunday as the day to get ready for the next week--slowly at my own pace. I change the sheets, clean the upstairs, get lunches for the week ready (I plan menus on Thursday after I pick up my CSA box and do the cooking over Friday, when I work from home, or Saturday). We do a quick tidy of the rest of the house, have a nice but early dinner, and then usually read or talk until retiring to that lovely, clean bed.
I started this routine about 15 years ago now; it makes the entry into the week so much nicer. It's changed Sundays from dreaded days to special days.
I like Jess13's idea.
Why is the NY Times so pretentious? They should've written about the melancholy brought on by "Mad Men" being on hiatus, it would've been more interesting.
The cure for the Sunday blues is to remind myself how fortunate I am to have a job in this economy. Philosophical approach would be is, for every Monday comes a Friday, thus the cycle of life. It works sometimes:-)
I hate Sundays. Sundays are the day I get to leave my boyfriend to go to a town I dislike 100 miles away and work at a job I tolerate for the sake of being able to put "experience" on my resume to be a professional engineer. There is nothing I can do to make that better short of moving back to his town with no jobs. I generally try to "make house" when I get back- Put clothes away, put bags away, and read or watch Netflix.
Why is that pretentious? If you want to read about a television show, pick up a TV Guide. Or just about any magazine really.
But what do I know? I spend my Sundays reading the NY Times over a long breakfast just like 1.4 million other pretentious people. And I do the crossword...in pen.
Kind of a depressing topic for a Friday!
I call this the "Sunday night dread", and I'm looking forward to the day when I work for myself and don't ahve this problem. Until then? I like jess13's suggestion, haha.
Also, I try to plan thing for the next weekend. Or look at photos like this, because daydreaming about things like that usually helps.
I love Sundays! I'm Christian, and it's my day of rest. I attend worship service in the AM, and then the rest of day is up in the air. I refuse to let it be stressful or sad if I can at all help it. I may cook a great dinner with family, go to my yoga class, or just loaf on the couch for the rest of the day. I also like my job as midwife and don't work a straight 5 day 9 to 5; so Monday often holds the potential to be just as relaxed as Sunday. Regardless of what I may (or may not) have to do on Monday, I spend Sunday just enjoying Sunday.
I call it the "Sunday Grumps" and my boyfriend gets it.
I love Sundays. When I lived in Spain, Sundays were Fundays...eating and drinking and sharing with friends.
In NY, it's not quite the same, but thank goodness for great NY brunches. Without that, I may have left ages ago.
I really love Sunday. The neighborhood and city is quiet. I make my favorite breakfast or invite people over for brunch. Other than that, I don't cook or clean that day. Instead, I think about the coming week with renewed interest and fresh eyes. Sunday is my quiet time of reflection when I can indulge in a good book or a mid-afternoon nap with no guilt.
I love Sunday. It typically consists of church, a lot of naps, walking the dogs, and going to my husband's parent's house for dinner (keep in mind that I LOVE his parents). We laugh, play cards, and generally get to relax with each other for a few hours. It's great! And I rarely end up cooking! ;)
I like going to the movies on a Sunday night. It really extents your weekend feeling. An added bonus is it's really quiet there :-).
This great song is playing on the radio as I read this: Chatham County Line's "Saturday and Sunday". Youtube the performance at the Pour House.
Nothing like the right music to improve the mood.
I think a lot of Suday malaise has to do with the tedium of a day of family togetherness and restfulness. Good for you ElectricKatie!
I know two ways to beat Sunday night blues: 1. Getting a better job ends Sunday night blues for some lucky people. 2. Change your work schedule. I knew a guy who worked Saturdays and was off Mondays. He never got Sunday night blues...just Monday night blues before returning to work Tuesday morning!
I haven't had the Sunday blues since I lost my job and started a creative business out of my home.
My fabulously nerdy friends and I have found a great way to beat the Sunday blues: We get together every Sunday night for a few hours of D&D. With snacks and beverages, of course.
That could work without the nerd factor, too.
My approach is to treat myself really well on Sundays.
- I tidy up (in a relaxed, don't-stress-myself-out sort of way) in the morning, so I'm not in a rush to do it at night and I can just enjoy my space.
- I pick up some flowers, even if they're just from Publix, to enjoy, and as a bonus they're there to pick me up on Monday.
- I open up a bottle of very light wine (no Monday morning hangovers!) to sip on while I read a good book, watch something particularly romantic or dramatic on Netflix (the new P&P has lately been perfect), or plan a getaway that I may or may not ever actually go on.
All of the above has the effect of making my current space pleasant and clean, and my brain relaxed and happy -- like a blank canvas to start the new week.
In order to escape my Sunday night dread at a previous job that I hated, I would go to a bikram class. (sub in any activity that you like)
I told myself that I wasn't allowed to worry about Monday until after the class was over. Not only did it force me spend less time worrying, I was usually very relaxed after the class.
Sunday night I'm going to go hear Tony Allen's band play. I can't wait. (And that's my general solution to the problem of Sunday night.)
Whoa. I just showed this painting to fourth graders at the Des Moines Art Center half an hour ago. I always ask them what they think makes her sad. They never say Sunday nights.
I thought I was the only one.
I used to get the blues too until my children were old enough to what to do stuff all weekend :) Now with toddlers and full work weeks sunday mornings are brunches with friends or family, sunday afternoons are play time at the park or zoo (with a delicious nap squeezed in) and then early dinner and a movie (special weekend treat at our house), by the time the kiddos are tucken in, the house is cleaned up there's just enough time to catch up on a grown up tv show or two before falling into an exhausted slumber
On Sunday nights, my girlfriends and I gather in one of our apartments with a few bottles of wine, drink, nibble on snacks, and talk until 11:30pm. Ha, I don't know how we wake up on time for work on Monday, but Sunday night is never dull.
Sunday night dinners -- invite a group of friends over for an early-ish meal -- 6 or 6:30 -- spend all day making something awesome, definitly some homemade bread, and a g freat chocolate dessert. Everyone pulls out around 9:30 or 10... it's something to look forward to, so night time doesnt cascade into Monday morning so quickly. And your guests feel taken care of in the best of ways.
I have also thrown awesome cocktail parties on Sunday nights. No competition for the evening, and it just extends that lazy Sunday brunch feel. WE grew up with Sunday being race-to-get-your-homework done night. Sunday shouldnt be for punishment but for drawing out those last great hours of your weekend!
pam h
howtorunyourlife.blogspot.com
As a night person, every day has the potential to end in blues because I'm revved up and ready to go exactly when I know I should trying to get to bed to wake up on time the next day.
Summers are the worst because there are still traces of dalylight as late as 9:30pm...
Twilight is my favorite time of any day because I love the look of the skies and it's a visual cue marking and end of workday responsibility and the start of after hours freedom.
I cannot hear that ticking stopwatch on "60 Minutes" without going into an immediate funk. And, oddly, it has nothing to do with Andy Rooney.
Slightly off-topic, I've always loved that Hopper painting. To me, it's slightly melancholy in a good way, not too melancholy.
in NYC...theres too much to do and see and eat! Then theres ALWAYS somewhere to dance on a Sunday! Yes even early Sunday!
@ lampeam: that's awesome. It occurred to me I had seen that painting before, in real life. When I saw the photo credit, I realized I must have seen it in Des Moines.
Used to live there, but never would have guessed I'd have an art reference to that place. Crazy.
Maybe try something you're always putting off, so by the evening you're exhausted and don't think about a wasted Sunday. I keep recipes from magazines, newspapers, blogs/sites, friends + family so on Sundays I pull out my 'box of shame' and try it, even if it's only once.
I used to have this feeling when I lived alone and was, mainly, lonely.
Living with pets and people, never happens. (Not to say I don't get the "I don't WANT to go to work tomorrow" feelings any "school" night... I do.) But Sundays I do part of my weekly housework (usually vacuuming and kitchen tidying), play with my pets, in summer go to the flea market, read, watch TV, watch movies on TV or at the theater, garden, craft... too busy to be blue!
i try to go salsa dancing. or I stay home with wine and a movies. so i guess sunday night for me is "me time."
marlyk: you nailed it! I was just thinking how I dont feel that way anymore, I used to have a kind of dread on sunday nights but since i no longer work the typical 8-5 mon-fri job i dont feel that way, half the time i am unaware of what day it is. I much prefer the self employment/stay at home mom gig i have now. working for yourself is harder but better... though you do worry when if the next job will come in!
Sorry, I'm so happy that I have a little party on Sundays. Sunday means my kids are in school the next day and I have 5 days with some time to get things done before they are back home.